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Cable companies like Comcast have long touted "TV Everywhere" that's available whenever and wherever customers are, but a number of restrictions sometimes made that moniker hard to take. In 2015, its claim being pushed harder by more than just Netflix and Amazon, as competing internet-only TV services like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue will even have some of the same channels. Comcast's Xfinity TV Go app has been trying to change that perception and now the company is announcing it's more than doubled the amount of channels available since it launched a little over a year ago. Recent additions including AMC, Showtime, BBC America, and The Weather Channel have just pushed the channel count up over 70 from the original count of 35 -- and that's expected to keep growing.

Years of being dinged for ineffective and unresponsive customer service may be catching up to Comcast, which is finally responding with some much-needed tweaks. Charlie Herrin became its SVP of Customer Experience in September, bringing new features to the My Account app (iOS, Android) that track the progress of field technicians and now, arrange customer service call backs. The way it works, customers can initiate troubleshooting within the app, and if that doesn't work or doesn't apply, choose a convenient time for a rep to call them instead of wasting time sitting on hold. There's also an option to tweet for support as well, so whatever way you prefer works. Options like this have existed before, with phone prompts during periods of high call volume, but putting it in the app should make it easier for customers to monitor when their issue will be addressed without having to go through the phone tree in the first place.

It's almost time for CES to come around again, but Samsung and Comcast are just getting around to fulfilling the promise of 4K streaming they made at the last show earlier this year (DirecTV launched last month). The Xfinity in UHD app arrives today on Samsung's 2014 Ultra HD TVs (which also have high-res video from the likes of Netflix, Amazon and Samsung's $300 hard drive add-on) and right now, it's offering up every episode of Chicago Fire, Suits and Covert Affairs at no additional charge to customers. In February, they'll be joined by Parks & Recreation (futuristic 2017 teaser trailer embedded after the break), but there's no word on content beyond that. Looking for 4K service on other platforms? Comcast VP Matt Strauss says it will come to other platforms with Xfinity TV Go access later in 2015, plus an upgraded X1 cable box that will launch next year.

When it comes to offering great customer service, Comcast's reputation on the matter is far from being healthy. Every now and then, the company gets put on the map for making its subscribers go through rather tedious experiences -- to get an idea, just listen to the recording of this call. But Comcast knows it can do better, so it's taking some necessary steps to get to where it wants to be. As such, it is now testing a feature that lets its customers track and rate technicians whenever they have a scheduled appointment.

For several years now, Comcast has been testing cable TV that streams over the internet at several college campuses but this fall it's officially launching. Available at Bridgewater College, Drexel University, Emerson College, Lasell College and the University of Delaware included as a part of room and board, and on a trial basis at a few others including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of New Hampshire, Xfinity on Campus brings live cable TV to PCs, tablets and phones -- as long as they're on campus. The package includes 80 or so channels and includes access to stuff like video on-demand and WatchESPN and HBO Go (if you have HBO), which will work even when they're off of the college's network.

Comcast has just transformed part of Houston into a WiFi commune by activating 50,000 residential Xfinity routers, according to the Houston Chronicle. The new service will give any Comcast client free WiFi access via those "xfinitywifi" hotspots, and is just the beginning of a larger rollout. As revealed earlier, the unloved cable outfit may eventually launch a mobile network using WiFi from subscribers' modems along with leased cellular capacity, possibly from Verizon. A lot of customers now broadcasting WiFi may not actually know they're doing so, however, since Comcast opted them in by default -- though it did warn users by mail. It added that the changes won't expose home networks or affect your internet connection speeds thanks to added capacity. There's another 100,000 routers coming on line in the city soon as well, but you can opt out by following the rather convoluted procedure right here.

In a three-hour hearing today (watch it here or embedded after the break; read the statements here), executives for Comcast and Time Warner Cable joined a few others taking questions about their proposed $45 billion merger. Unfortunately, after pushing a 180-page explanation of how great an idea the merger is to the FCC yesterday, Comcast's David Cohen and Time Warner Cable's Arthur Minson didn't have much new to say. Senators including Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar and Mike Lee grilled the execs with questions about rising cable rates, channel bundles and network neutrality, mostly garnering the same answers we've heard before. Franken's questioning stood out, pointing out comments Comcast made during its acquisition of NBCUniversal citing Time Warner Cable as a competitor that could help keep it in check, even though now it says they don't compete for customers.

The prospect of the two companies joining to create one vertically integrated giant controlling both content and means of access to content for millions of people loomed over the proceedings. Comcast took the opportunity to announce higher speeds on two of its internet tiers in the Northeast, and call out its growing network of WiFi hotspots for customers, while once again promising new features and better tech for TWC areas. Still, with so many networks and access for 30 million customers potentially under one brand, Comcast/TWC's arguments about competition from Google Fiber, Netflix (which Comcast said it didn't fear in 2011), telcos and satellite didn't seem to hit the right notes.

Just in time for the official start of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Comcast has added a load of new channels to its Xfinity TV offering, including options for watching the first second round upsets. Alongside March Madness viewing with access to TNT, TBS and truTV, key additions to the live-streaming library include A&E, Bravo, Cooking Channel, E!, Food Network, HGTV, History, Syfy, USA and more. Of course, this is on top of the more than 25,000 on-demand options for watching at your leisure. All of the new channels are available via either Xfinity TV on the web or Xfinity TV Go for iOS and Android.

Comcast's Xfinity TV Store only started offering movies for purchase late last year, but it's catching up today by stocking Warner Bros. movies and TV shows prior to their release on DVD or Blu-ray. Now, like the rival stores from Amazon and Apple, it has a wider selection of movies like Gravity for purchase or rental well before the flicks hit kiosks, mailboxes, and subscription streaming. Comcast is counting on ubiquity to lure people away from competitors -- you can watch any of the new content through your TV set-top box, PC or mobile device. The Warner Bros. deal isn't likely to have you giving up your preferred video store, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have another choice.

First revealed in rumors last week, the Comcast Xfinity TV Store is now available, selling movies and TV shows. Until now the cable company has offered its traditional video subscriptions, PPV and video on-demand rentals, but now it's offering more transactions of a more permanent nature. Pricing and content is similar to that of other digital sores like Amazon VOD, iTunes and Vudu, but it has the extra edge of working with user's existing cable TV set-top boxes for viewing on TV, just like Verizon's Flex View. Of course, most of us have one (or three, or five) boxes ready to access digital content but that may not be true for everyone, and any of the millions of customers with access to Comcast VOD should be able to use this.

On other platforms, the videos also stream to PCs via the Xfinity Purchases website, and the apps for iOS and Android have already landed. One of our main questions concerned what would happen if a customer leaves Comcast, and while the content will still work, they'll need to complete an account transfer within 60 days to keep access. There's a demo video showing how this all works (embedded after the break) and all the online moving parts appear to be live, for those interested. In the end however, its very typical pricing, DRM and content means that while the studios will be happy with another storefront, we're not expecting it to shake things up anytime soon.

According to the infamous "people with knowledge of its plans," cable TV giant Comcast will move from renting video on-demand movies to selling them, in rumors reported by Reuters and The Wall Street Journal. Hollywood studios love pushing the digital sales of movies and have recently expanded efforts to release flicks early for purchase on internet services, weeks before they come out on disc. Any offering by Comcast will probably be similar to what's already out there from stores like iTunes, Walmart's Vudu and even Target, except that instead of just digital access through the Xfinity website and apps, viewers could watch movies right on their cable boxes as well.

According to the WSJ, the offering will not be tied to other stores using Ultraviolet authentication, at least at first, so any digital collections will have to start fresh -- something that may not appeal to end users who could find access restricted if they switch service or move to a non-Comcast neighborhood. Verizon FiOS TV already sells movies to end users through Flex View, while Dish Network is mentioned as considering a similar move. One thing that could make Comcast's dive into movie sales more interesting however, is if it follows up on a 2011 patent dug up byFierce Cable, describing a Groupon-style method of adjustable prices that lower if more people rent or purchase first-run movies while they're still in theaters. Unfortunately, what we'll probably see is just another video store indifferent clothing, but we'll know more once it's officially announced.

If you're a Comcast subscriber who wants to stream live TV from somewhere other than your couch, we have good news for you: The Xfinity TV Go app is available to download right now from both Google Play and iTunes. As long as you have a steady WiFi connection, and an Android device running Froyo or higher or an iOS gizmo with iOS 6 or better, you should be good to go. While this is cool and all, we were kind of hoping this update to the Xfinity TV Player app would've brought Chromecast support along with it.

Comcast subscribers who want to watch TV on mobile devices won't have to stay at home in the future. The cable provider has confirmed to The Verge that it will soon offer live TV viewing from anywhere through Xfinity TV Go, a rebranded and refreshed version of its Xfinity TV Player app. The software will offer access to 35 live channels, including the BBC, CNN and ESPN. However, it's not certain that viewers will get to stream through any connection. A source for The Verge claims that Comcast will let Verizon customers watch over cellular networks, but there's no mention of similar freedom for others -- you may have to use WiFi if you're not supporting Comcast's preferred carrier. The provider hasn't addressed this rumor, but it's clear that Xfinity TV Go will help Comcast fight off similar live TV efforts from AT&T and other telecom giants.

After recent issues delivering video to some TVs, Comcast has fixed those and is also improving the experience available through its video apps on Android. The Xfinity TV Player video on-demand app and Streampix subscription video app have both been updated to support HD video on devices with screens that are 720p or higher. There is also more content available for downloading or streaming, plus improvements to address stability and monitoring video quality. A recent blog post attributes some improvements to its "Viper" infrastructure to deliver video across a number of platforms at once. One drawback? The update will clear any content you've already downloaded to your devices.

Comcast's advanced cable-box footprint keeps getting bigger. While currently you can only get the X1 set-top box in 18 of its service areas, that's growing, as it's come to several new markets recently. A company spokesperson recently told us that the cable giant is still on track to have the new unit as an option for all of its customers by year's end. As of now, new and current Triple Play subscribers in Nashville and Knoxville, TN; Jacksonville, Sarasota and Naples, FL; Baltimore and Frederick, MD and Brunswick, GA can snag the hardware as a free upgrade with select programming packages. Or, if you're patient, you could wait for the X2.

Sure you'd like to watch On Demand content on your computer, but there's that whole tiresome logging-in thing you have to do first. If you subscribe to both Xfinity TV and Internet services, however, that would no longer be an issue thanks to a new feature called Home Pass. As long as customers access the Xfinity website within their home network, they'll be automatically logged in, and will be free to access TV Everywhere content from then on, no password required. Xfinity ran a trial of the service during the London Olympics and March Madness 2013, and have decided Home Pass is robust enough to handle Xfinity's entire video library. While this will initially be available via the web, it sounds like other platforms like iOS, Android and (maybe?) Xbox could get it later as well.

Crying because your DVR's hard drive can't hold an entire season of Antiques Roadshow? If you're a Comcast subscriber, there may be hope on the horizon. At The Cable Show in Washington, D.C., Comcast announced its next Xfinity-branded cloud solution: the X2 set-top box. Available later this year, the X2 will eschew hard drive saves in favor of storing recorded programs online. Additionally, both the forthcoming X2 and soon-to-be updated X1 are said to provide greater interface customization, smarter personalized recommendations, additional web content and enhanced multiplatform integration. If this news tickles your fancy, you can find more screenshots at the source link below or read the press release after the break.

KabletownComcast is taking advantage of the calm before the WWDC/E3 storm to announce two initiatives to help out 'round the home. First up, the company is adding a public WiFi channel to its newest Wireless Gateway hardware, enabling your home to become a muni-fi hotspot for roving Xfinity customers. Wondering how public usage might affect your personal bandwidth cap situation? Basically the way it works is if you're a Comcast customer, you log in to the WiFi (on someone else's modem) with your account username / password, and any bandwidth you use is counted on your account, not theirs. At the same time, it's launching EcoSaver for Xfinity Home, a cloud-based home control solution that'll turn your thermostat down (basically the existing Xfinity Home Secure offering, minus the alarm bits) when you're out and about and freak out the kid you'll pay to come house-sit during your vacation.

Well, Comcast's idea to charge users $10 a month for set-top Skypehardware went as well as you could have expected. If DSLReports' sources are correct, the offering will be quietly retired on June 1st due to, surprise surprise, "low adoption." If you were one of the few triple-play customers who ponied up for the gear, fear not, as the leaked internal e-mail says that existing users will continue to be supported. Given that you can snag subscription-free gear from Logitech, Biscotti and others, it's no surprise to see Skype on Xfinity joining Cisco's Umi on the island of misfit telepresence devices.

Well, well, it looks as if Comcast has planned something relatively major for Xfinity TV subscribers. The company just announced that from March 25th through March 31st, it's set to give customers an all-access viewing ticket to a plethora of TV series from various networks, which will also include on-demand content for those with the proper All Video On Demand credentials. Thanks to the Xfinity Watchathon Week, as it's formally known, folks with an Xfinity TV account can have the chance to check out shows from networks they may not be subscribed to, including ones such as HBO, Showtime and Starz, as well as others like A&E, AMC, BBC America and many, many more -- so yes, you can catch up on (or watch for the first time) Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Downton Abbey, The Sopranos and, of course, Girls (!). There are still quite a few days to go until Comcast's Watchathon kicks off, so, perhaps, now might be the perfect time to set a cal reminder and start stacking up on some popcorn.

Pre-CES rumors suggested Intel would announce a "virtual cable" service (before being stamped out) but the partnership with Comcast it actually revealed turned out to be far more conventional. Very similar to the tru2way multiroom box Intel demonstrated back at IDF in 2009, the Multi-Screen Video Gateway by Arris capitalizes on DLNA standards -- touted by the alliance earlier today -- to bring video to virtually any device in your home. It's "headless", because it's not built to connect directly to any TV, just shoved somewhere out of sight while you tune in on your various screens. Of course, these demos have been here before and the DTCP-IP technology behind it isn't particularly new either, so why could 2013 finally be the year we see these features roll out from major providers?

As cited in the earlier press release, DirecTV has released Genie DVRs loaded with RVU that pushes video directly to TVs and even the PS3 in the past year, providing one example of the tech in action. The updated FCC IP interface requirements and continued work on the DLNA Premium Content guidelines are also forcing progress forward, albeit slowly. Finally, there's some hope that the CE and cable industry can actually work together, as seen in Comcast's RDK program that's pushing the development of this box and others (like that Humax box we spotted floating through the FCC) with similar capabilities. The box was running Comcast's new X1 cloud-based guide which has seen a limited rollout so far, but because of how it works is more easily accessed and updated on connected devices. Of course even with all that, we've been down this road before (again and again and again and again) so despite a slick demo we'll withhold excitement until hardware is actually released.

Comcast isn't opening up its set-top boxes (UI and all) in the way we'd like, but it has established a reference spec (RDK) for potential hardware partners to build their own versions of its next generation setup. As reported by Light Reading, Cisco, Humax, Pace, Technicolor and others are working on hardware for a new multiroom setup based on a central gateway (or maybe a Cablevision-style network DVR) that streams video to IP-connected extenders called the XI3. Now Humax's Xfinity-branded XI3-H has been revealed in an FCC filing spotted by Wireless Goodness. It sports a coax in/out connection for MoCA and TV, HDMI in and out, Ethernet and a USB port for a WiFi adapter. There's also an SD card slot interestingly, which could potentially be used as local DVR storage for quick pause and rewind without pulling from the main server.

Comcast brought video on-demand streaming to subscriber's mobile devices since early last year, but now an update has added the option to download (some) content for offline viewing. Arriving simultaneously on iOS and Android, the Xfinity TV Player apps support downloads from premium channels Showtime (which was also one of the first up for streaming when that launched), Starz, Encore and MoviePlex. We downloaded the app on both platforms and found it to work in similar fashion, assuming you're already logged in (and have any of those channels in your package) the option to download is right next to the usual stream button with options available for two different levels of picture quality. The high quality option wasn't quite HD quality to our eyes, but certainly passable for viewing on a flight or subway. We did run into a hiccup on Android however, with an "unknown error" stopping us from downloading files to our Galaxy S II running ICS. If there were more content available it would be a decent no-additional-hardware-needed matchup for solutions like TiVo's Stream or DirecTV's Nomad, while we wait for that you can get a taste of the apps for each platform at the source links.

Update:As of 11/20, Comcast pushed another update to the Android app, and after logging in again, we were able to download shows to our Galaxy S II without issue.

Hurricane Sandy's taken out more than the electricity of hundreds of thousands of Northeastern USers -- it's also pillaged the internet connections of many, leaving our Netflix and Hulu Plus subscriptions unused, and subsequently our Eddie Murphy '80s movie marathons unmarathoned. Comcast understands this to be the dire situation it is, and is offering its Xfinity WiFi service free of charge for folks living in Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Washington D.C., and West Virginia (sans New York City, as there aren't any hotspots in the Big Apple, sadly). Just select "Complimentary Trial" from the landing page and you're in like Flynn until November 7 (when the deal ends).

Or perhaps you're one of our lucky readers unaffected by the crazy hurricane? Apple's got an opportunity through iTunes for direct donation to the American Red Cross, should you wish to help out our friends suffering through worse than just lacking internet. Donation increments range from $5 to $200 -- just sign into iTunes and click the Red Cross advert below New Music.